SASUKE
SASUKE is a sports variety special spun off from Kinniku Banzuke; it was part of Kinniku Banzuke until 2002 when Kinniku Banzuke was cancelled. SASUKE airs between Japanese television drama seasons, approximately two competitions per year. Edited versions of SASUKE air around the world in countries such as Taiwan, The United States (where it is titled Ninja Warrior), Great Brittan (also titled Ninja Warrior), France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Serbia. Format Each competition pits 100 competitors against a four stage obstacle course. Each stage increases in difficulty and a competitor must complete a stage to advance. Competitions begin in the morning and are usually finished well past sunset. Due to time constraints, only about half of the first stage attempts are generally aired, more or less depending on the number of people that advance. First Stage The First Stage is designed to test a competitor's over athletic ability. It has grown and added more obstacles than the other stages over the years. 7-12 people usually advance. Second Stage The Second Stage used to primarily test a competitor's speed, but upper body strength became crucial when the Salmon Ladder was added in the 18th competition. One third to one half of participants generally advance. Third Stage Stage Three is meant to test upper body strength and all current obstacles involve the competitor hanging from their arms from some aparatus. This is the only untimed stage. Stage Three victories are scarce nowadays, as there has been only one man advance in the past four tournaments. Final Stage Stage Four -- the Final Stage -- has always had the same goal: make it to the top of a tower within the specified time. Every time there is a victory, the tower changes and method of reaching the top isn't known be until someone reaches the stage, although the final part has always been a rope climb. Only two men have completed the Final Stage, Akiyama Kazuhiko (4th competition) and Nagano Makoto. Competitors SASUKE competitors come from all walks of life, ranging from Olympic athletes to blue collar workers to Japanese celebrities. The most successful Olympian to attempte SASUKE was Bulgarian gymnast Jordan Jovtchev, who made it to the Final Stage in his rookie effort (SASUKE 8) and has made it to the third stage three other times. Although they rarely pose a threat, there have been a couple of Japanese entertainers that have been successful. Comedian Ômori Akira has had the most success, reaching the final stage in the first three SASUKE competitions. Celebrity athlete Iketani Naoki has reached the third stage four times, comedian Nakayama Kinnikun made it to the second stage twice before retiring after SASUKE 15, and Ishimaru Kenjirô, while never completing the first stage, has come close on a few attempts and is still a threat to reach the second stage despite being in his mid-50s. There has been an increasing number of foreign competitors, thanks in part to an American preliminary competition sponsored by the channel that airs SASUKE in America (G4) called the "American Ninja Challenge." The most sucessful foreign competitors have been Jovtchev, America's Levi Meeuwenberg & Kane Kosugi and Taiwan's Lee Enchi. Kosugi and Jovtchev became the first and only foreigners to attempt the final stage, doing so in SASUKE 8. All-Stars Six competitors, designated by TBS as the most likely to complete the final stage, are known as the SASUKE All-Stars. These competitors are Akiyama Kazuhiko, Nagano Makoto, Shiratori Bunpei, Takeda Toshihiro, Yamada Katsumi and Yamamoto Shingo. Takeda is the only one of these never to reach the final stage, although he has reached the third stage the most times. Yamamoto is the only man to compete in all 22 SASUKE tournaments and the only man to attempt the first and second versions of the Final Stage. See Also *List of SASUKE competitions *List of SASUKE obstacles *List of SASUKE competitors External Links * [http://www.tbs.co.jp/program/sasuke_20090330.html Spring, 2009 SASUKE] - Tokyo Broadcasting System * Internet Movie Database site * TV.com site (Ninja Warrior)